Inga Strauss
| rank = Commander | mother = Helga Zweiss | father = Captain Dieter Strauss (deceased) | insignia1 = }} Biographical summary Commander Inga Strauss serves as Executive Officer of the Border Cutter, USS Bluefin. A native of Munich, EU, Earth, she is the daughter of Helga Zweiss and the late Captain Dieter Strauss. Inga is young, eager, and very much by-the-book. Only 30 years of age, she has been fast-tracked through the ranks due to the losses of senior officers during the Dominion War and her own fierce drive to excel. She is highly competent but sometimes has problems with interpersonal relationships. She is pretty and very petite, which tends to make her overcompensate for her small stature by being aggressive. A former Olympic calibre gymnast, she is, paradoxically, something of a klutz and often commits verbal faux paus that amuse her ship mates. Commander Strauss was initially disappointed to be assigned as XO of a Border Service Cutter (to her, it was not the "real" StarFleet) but she is determined to be the best XO she can. The longer she serves on the Bluefin, however, the more she realizes the importance of the Border Service. *Favorite food - Aldebaraan chocolate truffle *Favorite drink - Raktajino, Chamomile tea *Hobbies - gymnastics, reading, spending time with Lt. Bane *Close friends - Lt. Commander T'Ser, Lt. Nigel Bane, Admiral Thran Pham *Strengths - Fierce loyalty, bravery, brilliant tactical mind, athleticism *Weaknesses - Self doubt, blushes and giggles easily, occasional verbal faux paus Education Inga grew up in Munich, European Union, on Earth, where she attended lower, middle and upper schools. She was accepted to Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, where she excelled and finished in the top ten of her class. USS Exeter Ensign Strauss began her Starfleet career on the Ambassador - class ship, USS Exeter. She spent much of her time learning the ropes at Tactical and Operations. Inga proved to be a competent officer and received high marks on her performance reviews. Captain Gamarra noted, "Ensign Strauss has proven herself to be a capable, courageous and effective officer. I expect her to go far in her career." Starbase 416 Following her tour on the Exeter and promotion to lieutenant(j.g.), Lt. Strauss served as assistant operations officer on Starbase 416, where she gained valuable experience and also learned to loosen up with her peers. USS Thunderchild In 2370, Strauss was promoted to full lieutenant and transferred to the starship, Thunderchild. Under Captain Polenko, Strauss served first as Assistant Operations Officer, then Tactical Officer. She distinguished herself in the battle of sector 001 against the Borg in 2373, whereupon she was promoted to Lt. Commander. In 2374, during the Dominion War, Captain Polenko named her second officer. She was the youngest second officer in the fleet at that time. She again distinguished herself with her bravery in the first battle of Chin'toka, and again at the Battle of Cardasia. In the latter battle, the Thunderchild's XO, Commander T'Vel was killed and Strauss was made acting XO, with the provisional rank of commander, a position she held through the end of the war. USS Bluefin Following the war, Commander Strauss was assigned as XO of the Albacore - class Border Cutter, USS Bluefin, under the command of Captain Joseph Akinola. At first, Strauss was disappointed with the assignment, hoping instead to remain on the Thunderchild as first officer or even second officer. She learned that her mentor and friend, Admiral Thran Pham, had arranged the transfer so that Inga could maintain her rank of commander and gain more experience on a smaller, but no less important, ship. In the short time she has served on the Bluefin she has proved herself a capable executive officer and has endeared herself to the crew, especially one Lt. Nigel Bane. Akinola has become something of a father figure to her and he has developed a deep respect and affection for his young XO. Strauss, Inga Strauss, Inga Strauss, Inga